Source: The Catholic Spirit | Jonathan Liedl
The Men’s Ministry group at St. Peter Claver is a reflection of the parish it’s affiliated with, historically founded as a faith home for St. Paul’s African American Catholics.
Most of the group’s nine core members are Black, though men from other ethnic backgrounds participate, too. What unites them is their faith and friendship in Christ. It’s motivated them to gather on the second Saturday of the month for over 20 years to pray, read Scripture and discuss current events.
But even with this common foundation, members of the group found themselves taking different viewpoints on the topic of conversation at their July 10 meeting: Black Lives Matter.
Circled up in the parking lot of St. Peter Claver (their normal meeting place, Day By Day Café, wasn’t available due to COVID-19 restrictions), the six men in attendance, along with St. Peter Claver’s pastor, Father Erich Rutten, shared their perspectives on this social phenomenon, which, from NBA courts to suburbia yard signs, has become a ubiquitous presence amid the nation’s ongoing conversation about racism and reform following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody May 25.
